Greig the hero in Scotlands lone triumph

In 1965 the Rangers skippers late goal secured Scotlands only win over Italy, and proved Jock Steins tactical genius

THE lights flickered on above the Hampden terracing to pierce the misty Glasgow gloom of a November night, a grim signal to John Greig and his Scotland teammates that time was almost up. The international side, striving to qualify and make the short journey to England for the 1966 World Cup finals, needed one last surge.

Scotland had to beat Italy to stay in the race, and with only two minutes left the game was deadlocked goalless. “In those days, for safety reasons, the lights went on with only a few minutes left so the crowd didn’t leave in the dark,” says Greig. “So I was suddenly aware it was so near the final whistle. The fans had given us tremendous backing, we’d done well against the Italians who were the glamour team of Europe. The atmosphere was electric, yet we hadn’t made the breakthrough.”